hurt
my
fee
fees.
BakerHostetler
just
announced
a
“strategic
three-year
partnership”
with
vLex
to
integrate
the
company’s
Vincent
AI
platform
across
its
18
offices.
By
itself,
this
is
another
straightforward
sign-of-the-times
story
about
a
major
law
firm
bringing
its
lawyers
an
artificial
intelligence
product
designed
specifically
for
the
legal
industry.
It’s
a
pretty
standard
announcement
these
days,
whether
a
firm
is
adding
Vincent
or
Harvey
or
CoCounsel
or
HAL
9000
or
Legora…
firms
are
looking
for
legal
AI
so
attorneys
aren’t
tempted
to
shadow
IT
the
firm
into
malpractice
by
asking
ChatGPT
to
make
up
good
caselaw.
“Our
partnership
with
vLex
is
a
natural
fit:
Its
legal
data
and
workflows
will
enrich
our
environment,
amplifying
our
ability
to
deliver
intelligent,
transformative
solutions
for
clients,”
said Katherine
Lowry,
Chief
Information
Officer
at
BakerHostetler.
“We’re
entering
a
phase
where
AI
isn’t
just
a
tool
–
it’s
part
of
operations.
We’re
focused
on
connecting
AI
to
the
data
we
already
trust,
both
internally
and
externally,
to
drive
better
decisions
and
outcomes.”
But
this
deal
smuggles
in
a
little
extra
baggage
when
you
remember
that
vLex
is
on
the
verge
—
pending
almost
certain
regulatory
approval
—
to
become
part
of
Clio.
We’re
a
couple
weeks
removed
from
Clio’s
big
announcement
that
it
intends
to
enter
the
enterprise
market,
adding
a
whole
new
division
to
work
with
Biglaw
and
major
corporate
departments,
and
basically
all
we’ve
talked
about
ever
since
is
“can
they
really
pull
this
off?”
Biglaw
is
a
different
animal.
Biglaw
moves
slower.
Biglaw
doesn’t
purchase
software
the
way
small
law
does.
It’s
a
bold
vision,
but
can
they
execute?
And
on
and
on.
But
Clio
already
has
an
in
with
some
of
the
bigger
firms
and
legal
departments.
There
are
Clio
point
solutions
out
there.
They
acquired
ShareDo,
bringing
those
relationships
under
their
roof.
And
while
vLex
already
had
relationships
with
bigger
teams,
we
now
we
have
a
Biglaw
firm
signing
a
deal
fully
aware
that
vLex
is
about
to
join
Clio.
As
an
observer,
that
seems
like
a
significant
fact
lost
in
a
more
routine
story.
Knowing
that
vLex
is
about
to
undergo
a
big
change,
BakerHostetler
leaned
in.
It’s
a
testament
to
Vincent
as
a
product,
sure,
but
also
to
the
firm’s
assessment
that
building
an
ongoing
relationship
with
a
company
just
now
entering
Biglaw
in
earnest
is
in
the
firm’s
interest.
It
will
take
years
to
know
if
Clio’s
new
strategy
pans
out,
but
this
is
an
important
early
milestone
on
that
journey.